1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1505 



honey from the old hive can be extracted and 

 the combs used anywhere in the yard. If the 

 colony is of fair size to start with the plan works 

 well with me. 



Northampton, N. Y. 



BEE-KEEPING IN CALIFORNIA. 



Prices in 1909. 



BY M. H. MENDLESON. 



There are a few carloads of amber and light- 

 amber extracted honey remaining in the produc- 

 ers' hands in this part of the State. The best sage 

 comb honey is at a premium; there has not been 

 such a scarcity of this grade for years. The mar- 

 ket will be well cleaned up byanotherseason; and 

 since there was considerable loss of forage in the 

 East from drouth and fire, prices for 1909 ought 

 to stiffen. 



Prices here are now ruling high. White hon- 

 ey is at a premium; comb honey is scarce, and 

 the demand extra good. 



OLD HONEY OF GOOD QUALITY. 



Dr. Miller, p. 1303, I have sage honey 14 years 

 old, and the flavor is better than when it was ex- 

 tracted. It is 

 delicious. I 

 have had sage 

 comb honey, 

 kept in dust- 

 proof shipping- 

 c ases , in a 

 warm dry 

 room, free from 

 odors, for a 

 number of 

 years, and the 

 flavor improv- 

 ed. It was su- 

 perior to any 

 fresh comb 

 honey I had 

 ever eaten. 



PHACELIA FOR 



HONEY AND 



FORAGE. 



Replying to 

 Dr. Miller's 

 Straw, page 

 1243, Oct. 15, 

 I will say that I have noticed two varieties of 

 phacelia. The better honey-producer of the 

 two has a floral stem of a shape and size that 

 might be compared to a large caterpillar. This 

 variety has an abundance of purple bloom. The 

 honey is water-white, and of fine flavor; but it 

 candies, soon after it is extracted, to the consis- 

 tency of fine paste. I was at one time extracting 

 some of this honey, putting it in aseven-ton cone- 

 top tank, and before the tank was full the honey 

 commenced to candy at the bottom; and when 

 full I had to run a pole down to the faucet before 

 I could get the bulk of the honey to run into the 

 60-lb. cans. I had to shovel out over two tons 

 with a long-handled shovel. I then had to 

 tip the tank on its side and fill open-top five-gal- 

 lon cans so that the honey could be melted on 

 the stove. This was an experience with candied 



honey that I shall always avoid hereafter. I 

 drew off considerable of the honey while extract- 

 ing, but the work was all done within ten days. 

 I never had honey candy so rapidly. 



In regard to phacelia as forage, I will say that 

 cattle will eat it when the better forage gets scarce. 

 It grows wild on the mountains, especially after 

 a fire, and also when stock eat the pasture oflF 

 clean. Of course, when stock keep the pasture 

 fed off too close it kills or destroys, as the source 

 of seeding is destroyed. 



HONEY FROM IRRIGATED ALFALFA. 



Hanford, Cal., produces an average of 53 car- 

 loads of honey a year. Hanford is about 250 

 miles north of Ventura Co. , in Central California. 

 The honey is gathered from the irrigated alfalfa, 

 and is 1 ight amber in color, but pleasant in flavor. 



COLONIES WITH PLENTY OF STORES FOR WINTER 

 ARE THE STRONGEST IN SPRING. 



On my ranges I like 40 to 50 lbs. or more of 

 honey for winter stores. Colonies with good vig- 

 orous queens, and rich in stores in June and July, 

 continue brood-rearing much later, and go through 

 the winter strong in numbers, and with vigorous 

 young bees. In spring they are ready to swarm 

 early. Other colonies, with scant stores, quit 

 breeding early and come out weak in numbers. 



HOME OF FRANK ALEXANDER, NEAR DELANSON, N. Y. 



and the seasons are well advanced before they get 

 in the proper strength for business; or, in other 

 words, the strength in spring depends on the 

 amount of stores left on the previous season. 

 The extra honey is money on big interest; for if 

 we have a cool, cloudy spring, there is but little 

 check in brood- rearing. The past three years we 

 have had these late cool springs, and those few 

 colonies with extra amount of honey, gave rich 

 results. 



Previous to 1905 the majority of my bees were 

 at the coast. I did not get half the surplus I 

 should have secured, on account of the heavy 

 fogs and cool coast winds. The fogs did not 

 rise until about 10 a.m., and sometimes whole 

 days were foggy. In such cases, bees have much 

 less time to gather nectar, and that which they do 

 bring in does not evaporate so well, and invari- 



